Italian Thin Pizza Crust Recipes

RUSTIC ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven as high as it will go for at least 45 minutes to one hour.
• In the bowl of your kitchen aid and using the paddle attachment mix the flour, sea salt and active dry yeast (
• Switch to the dough hook and mix together on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and sticky but should not stick to the sides of the bowl, only a little to the bottom.
• (If the dough sticks to the sides sprinkle in a little more flour, if it is too dry then add a bit more water).
• After the 8 minutes have passed remove the dough from the kitchen aid and cut it into 6 pieces and form them into rounds. Place them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature and rise for 2 hours in a draft free area. ( I prefer the oven )
• Sprinkle the counter with a little bit of flour, take one piece of dough and press down on it with your fingers until you have 1/2" thick circle or oval. Using your fists and knuckles start stretching the dough until 10" in diameter making sure not to tear it ( this should be easy since it is a small pie).
• Dust your pizza peel (or a piece of cardboard) very well with semolina flour or corn meal and set your pizza dough on it making sure it slides easily when moved. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the pizza sauce in the center and spread it around with the back of a spoon leaving 1 inch of space at the edges and making sure not to get any on the peel. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and add your favorite toppings. ( Don't add too many toppings, keep in mind this is a thin crust and a couple of toppings will suffice ).
• Gently slide the pie on the preheated pizza stone in a hot 525 degree or more oven, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. When making the breakfast pizza I find that the egg cooks perfectly in 6 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the basil and freshly grated parmigiano reggianno. Allow to rest for a few minute for the cheese to set.

THIN-CRUST PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in hot water in a bowl. Let stand until yeast forms a creamy foam, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Mix 1 3/4 cup flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour in yeast mixture; mix well until dough comes together.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour if dough is too sticky, about 2 minutes. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a greased pizza pan.

NEW YORK ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour the warm water into the pan of a bread machine, sprinkle in the salt, and add the flour to the pan so the flour sits on top of the water. Make a hole in the top of the flour, and spoon the yeast into the hole. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes to moisten the flour. Set the bread machine to the knead setting, and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead in 1/4 cup more flour or as needed, adding the flour about 2 tablespoons at a time, to make a wet, sticky, but elastic dough. The dough should be "as soft as a baby's bottom." Form the dough into a round shape.
• Wipe the inside of a large bowl with olive oil, and place the round ball of dough into the bowl. Turn the dough over a couple of times so the dough picks up a thin coating of oil. Cover with a cloth, and refrigerate the dough for 10 hours or overnight.
• The next day, allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling out on a floured surface and adding toppings as desired. Roll the dough out thin with a thicker edge before adding toppings.
• Place a pizza stone into oven, dust it with a little flour, and preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Bake the pizza on the stone in the preheated oven until the bottom of the crust is browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

REAL ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to the lowest setting possible.
• Combine 4 cups flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment; turn mixer on low speed. Crumble yeast into small pieces and add to the flour. Slowly pour in water. Scrape the sides to make sure all flour is incorporated and mix until dough begins to pull away from the sides and form a ball. Drizzle in oil and mix until fully incorporated.
• Knead on low speed for 5 or 6 minutes, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons extra flour if needed. Remove dough from the bowl and use your hands to form a ball. Return dough to the bowl and score the top with an "x." Cover with a damp cloth.
• Turn oven off and place dough in the oven to rise for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
• Remove dough from the oven and reattach the bowl to the stand mixer. Uncover and punch down dough. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a pizza stone or tray on the bottom oven rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Cut dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each one into ball. Dust with flour if needed. Place balls on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Roll out each ball into a 9-inch circle and top with desired toppings (no more than 1 cup sauce per pizza).
• Place pizza on the pizza stone in the preheated oven. Immediately lower the temperature to 410 degrees F (210 degrees C) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes; actual length of time will depend on your toppings. Repeat to make remaining pizzas.

THIN CRUST PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix warm water and sugar together in a bowl; add yeast. Set aside until yeast mixture becomes foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Pour yeast mixture into a large bowl; add flour, olive oil, and salt. Knead dough for 6 to 8 minutes, adding more flour to keep dough from sticking to your hands if needed. Cover bowl and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Grease 2 pizza pans or baking sheets.
• Divide dough in half. Make each half into a ball shape and roll each into a flat, circular crust using a rolling pin.
• Place 1 piece dough over your hands with your knuckles turned upward directly underneath the center of the dough. Using your knuckles and backs of your hands, toss the dough into the air in a circular motion, spinning the dough. This thins the center of the dough and forms the padded edge of the pizza. When the edge of the dough is about 1/4-inch thick, place the dough onto the pan. Pizza diameter will be about 10 inches. Repeat with other piece of dough.

ULTIMATE ITALIAN STYLE THIN CRUST PIZZA

Steps:

• Sift the 00 flour in to a large mixing bowl and add the yeast and salt, make a well in the centre. Next mix the cold water, milk, honey and olive oil together in a mixing jug. Pour this in to the well, little by little, stirring and gradually bringing more flour in to the centre with a fork. Do this until all the flour is mixed in to the dough.
• Next you want to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes so that it is of a smooth elastic consistency and does not stick. If you don't know how to knead dough check out www.youtube.com there are some great video's. Do this on a lightly floured surface with floured hands, applying a dusting of flour when needed. Hint: Use latex gloves to prevent dough from sticking to your hands.
• Put the dough back in a lightly oiled bowl with a damp cloth to cover it. Let this sit in a warm place ideally about 40C or 100F until it has doubled in size this should take about an hour to an hour and a half. Remove the dough from the bowl and 'knock it back' punch the air out of it, do this for 1-2 minutes. Set this aside for later.
• The secret of great dough is using ice cold ingredients (milk, and water). If you have time, let the dough sit in the refrigerator overnight when you reach this stage, you will need to knock it back once more before you roll it out. This will make approximately 2 largish pizzas.
• For the tomato sauce i find using fresh tomatoes gives a better taste, plum tomatoes give a nice sweet taste or you can use canned ones here. Take the plum tomatoes and pierce the skin with a fork then blanch in boiling water for a few seconds, you should be able to remove the skin now. Put these in a saucepan and mash them up. Add all the other ingredients, apart from the basil, you can garnish with that on the finished pizza. Gently warm the ingredients for 5-10 minutes, don't burn it. There should be enough here for 2 fairly large pizza's.
• Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a well floured surface, apply the tomato sauce and then add your cheese. The amount of cheese in the recipe is per pizza, and should be enough for 1 fairly large pizza.
• Grate the Mozzarella and apply evenly over pizza, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and the grated provolone. The secret here is not to smother the pizza in cheese you want to be able to taste the full flavours in the pizza. A selection of Italian cheeses really makes a difference too.
• Add your favourite topping, My favourite topping is some portobello mushrooms sauteed in garlic butter and bell peppers, but you can add whatever you want. Again try not to smother it with toppings, the Italians tend to take the less is sometimes more approach here.
• Cook in a preheated oven on your maximum setting, probably about 250°C Watch it doesn't burn it will only need about 10 minutes. A great tip is use a pizza stone, if you cook a lot of pizza and don't have one then buy one. It transfers the heat very fast in to the dough and creates a great crispy base that is unmatched to any other methods of cooking it, apart from using an authentic pizza oven.

BREAD MACHINE THIN CRUST PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour the warm water into the pan of the bread machine, and add the flour on top of the water. Sprinkle with salt and sugar, and top with the yeast. Set the machine on the dough setting, and push the start button. When the machine signals that the dough is finished, transfer to a well-floured work surface.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Roll or stretch the dough out into thin crust about 14 inches across. Leave dough thick at the edge. Place the dough onto a 14-inch pizza baking sheet, and brush the dough with the olive oil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes before removing to top with desired ingredients for final baking.